Chapter 512: I Was Born Where Gods Died (Patreon)

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The storm of machinery tore apart all the energy beings present, and the shadows behind the god proxies vanished instantly. Captain America lifted his shield, herding the bewildered followers towards the car, free from the control of the gods. Only then did they realize that something far beyond their comprehension had occurred.

Amidst this storm, only Ammit survived the initial strike. Having physically arrived here, he had a bit of resistance left, but soon, he saw a pair of brown eyes in the starry sky gazing at him.

That eye contact was like a proclamation of death, followed by a sky filled with birds.

When machinery seamlessly combined with magic, countless mechanical birds with wings created by the mother nest, adorned with magical radiance, surrounded Ammit in flocks, forming a massive whirlwind.

Purple light burst from within the dense flock of birds, and Ammit let out a chilling scream. While onlookers couldn't witness the sight of Ammit being torn apart, the sound emitted from him through the light made it clear that his death was anything but peaceful.

The tornado-like swarm of mechanical birds shredded him from the outside in, even the magic energy dissipating from him was incredibly substantial.

Confronted with this apocalyptic scene, a great sorcerer approached Strange and said, "Fortunately, he's absorbing Ammit's energy. This proves he hasn't ascended above Space yet; he still needs energy to remain active."

"If he truly chooses to ascend above Space, what will happen?" Strange inquired.

"He must select a dimension, a dwelling place and the source of his existence, to fundamentally alter his life form and become like the demon gods."

"Why is that? Why can't he just stay on Earth like the gods of the Egyptian pantheon?"

The great sorcerer shook his head. "No, these Egyptian gods don't just stay on Earth either. They still have their own dimension, they just live together."

"Why can't demon gods stay on Earth?" Strange continued to inquire.

"We don't have a definitive answer to this question. The Ancient One, the former Sorcerer Supreme, once said that Earth is exceptionally unique, and Kamar-Taj is just one layer of protection. There are deeper secrets we have yet to uncover."

"But without a doubt, any Space demon gods or extra-dimensional demon gods, if they want to come to Earth, either need proxies to channel power to them or create energy forms themselves. In any case, they cannot directly come here, let alone reside."

"What about Ammit? Wasn't he resurrected from within Earth?"

"He was sealed." The great sorcerer explained, "There are still many sealed demon gods on Earth. The Ancient One's significant task was to clean up demon gods that resurged from their seals."

"Foreign demon gods cannot invade, internal demon gods are sealed, and newly-born demon gods must leave..." Strange rubbed his chin, seeming to have realized something.

But the situation wasn't promising at this point. After absorbing all of Ammit's energy, the steel demon god Stark had ascended to the peak of individual Space. If he ascended further, he would become the sole entity once again. However, if he didn't wish to do so, releasing such a massive amount of energy would cause unimaginable destruction...

Suddenly, on the dark horizon opposing the brilliance of the steel-formed Sun, a dazzling Thunderbolt ignited the resurrected Fire. The power of the King of Light emerged as Thor held the Thunderbolt, his feet on Fire. Standing opposite Stark, his voice resonated from the depths of Space:

"Stark, calm down! You can't release this power here, otherwise, the Nine Realms will be destroyed by you!"

A voice devoid of emotion, cold and mechanical, devoid of any sentiment, resounded: "Are you also one of those gods? Descending with divine power, controlling followers, initiating judgments, so arrogant, so foolish..."

"Locking onto the target of divine power... Weapons cluster launch wells primed... Aiming in progress..."

"Wait, Stark, calm down a bit! I'm not one of those Egyptian gods, I am Thor, the new King of Asgard. Don't you remember Asgard?"

"You're all the same." Stark's voice had almost lost its original tone, replaced by a more electronic synthesized sound similar to JARVIS. He said:

"During Humanity's ignorant era, you enslaved them with your mighty power, as their followers, reaping their faith, controlling the elements, unleashing divine punishment. You watched as the weak and feeble Humanity trembled at your feet in prayer, and so you crowned yourselves as gods."

"We tamed the wild lands of old, step by step forging our own civilization, igniting fires, sounding sirens. Henceforth, we no longer needed to gaze at the skies or fear calamities..."

"Then, when Humanity had completely conquered this planet, smelting steel, casting vehicles and ships, building weapons and cities, you returned once more, claiming Humanity's guilt, ready to judge us..."

Thor heard a sigh from the depths of distant Space, within which he could hear Stark's voice. Perhaps, along with Humanity's long history, many ancestors were standing there in history, sighing.

"I had the opportunity to become a god, but I declined. I told others it was because of my attachment to Humanity's emotions, but in reality, I simply found it beneath me."

"Lucky individuals who can control the power of Space by accident will never compare to Humanity, who step by step built a great civilization from the wilderness."

"A civilization comprised of countless small individuals can't speak out, destined to remain silent. Yet you wanted to recklessly judge us. Well then, the most magnificent power of Humanity's development until now—the power of machinery and steel—will show you..."

"Gods will eventually disintegrate, and Humanity will unite as one."

In Thor's vision, the rising Sun grew brighter and brighter. In the prosperous city, everyone pushed open their windows, looking out in astonishment. They found that the outside sky did not match the current time, even in the regions that were welcoming dawn. This dawn was too bright.

Suddenly, Strange sensed a fluctuation in magical power. He paused for a moment, exchanged a glance with the sorcerer beside him, and shouted, "Oh no! Stark is trying to disrupt the seals of the demon gods. Stop him!"

Several sorcerers behind him took flight, sending magical signals to various temples across Earth. Looking from the Earth's surface, one light after another lit up, like stars twinkling in Blink's hands. Angry roars continuously came through the sorcerers' communications:

"That damned monster has broken free! Stop him and drive him out of the city!"

"The Nine Dragons, an underground explosion! The temple's manpower isn't enough, quickly call in SPEAR! We need support!"

"A Night Parade of One Hundred Demons! Damn it! Seal the source of the shrine, we mustn't let the Great Demon break free!"

Afterward, amidst a series of bustling sounds, a communication was forcibly inserted. Strange picked up the phone, and a man's voice came from the other end. He said, "I am the director of SPEAR, Zheng Xian. Seals on demon gods all over the world are loosening on a large scale. Kamar-Taj, what's going on?"

Facing the slowly rising Sun, Strange's hair and Cloak fluttered into the air. He spoke with a solemn tone:

"Perhaps Stark is right. These foolish gods have never truly acknowledged our civilization..."

"Don't ask for reasons." Strange quickly said.

"In my capacity as the Sorcerer Supreme, I command all organizations associated with or connected to the mystical realm, no matter which demon god is about to break free, no matter their intent. As long as they dare to step out of their seal..."

Taking a deep breath and exhaling it, Strange said in a tone akin to a sigh, "...Humanity will no longer need that god."

His words, carried by the energy of magic, spread to every corner of Earth. Every Humanity that used divine power, magic energy, and other mysterious energies heard the sigh of the Sorcerer Supreme.

On the side of Humanity, some hurriedly contacted their gods, some hesitated while gazing at their staves, and others snorted and picked up weapons.

However, all the demon gods who heard these words acted in unison. They found their followers, forcibly controlled them, infused power, broke free from their seals, and then descended upon Earth.

It wasn't that they wanted to do so, but the infamous reputation of the previous Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One, made them aware that if they didn't resist, they would die.

But what surprised them was that the seals set for various reasons began to loosen. A strange magical energy swept through the seals, disrupting their structures and making it easier for them to break free.

These demon gods were confused, but the temptation of freedom was too great. As a result, the vast majority of them began to struggle to break free from their seals.

Some of these sealed demon gods couldn't even be considered proper demon gods, merely being composed of energy. While demon gods were also essentially energy entities on a larger scale, some of the weaker ones, after breaking free, didn't think first about slaughtering Humanity, but instead sought a place to hide.

The infamous reputation of the former Sorcerer Supreme, The Ancient One, was well-known. Therefore, the demon gods had no intention of staying on Earth. Once they broke through Earth's defense network, they would be as free as birds.

Their idea was a good one, but after they broke free, gathered energy, ignited their powers, and accelerated, a resounding "bang" met them like hitting a wall of copper and iron.

Correct, Strange had cranked up the strength of Earth's magical defense network to the maximum and poured in all the excess energy from the events with Knull.

At this moment, the Earth's magical defense network was at its peak strength. Even if beings like Mephisto or Dormammu from alternate dimensions came, they would have to weigh their options before they could break through.

The demon gods of smaller stature simply disappeared upon impact, while the slightly more powerful ones were sent sprawling and were quickly dispatched by the sorcerers from various temples, packaged and taken away for a supplementary meal.

Those who were more formidable and well-known gods in various regions bumped into the barriers, only to find they couldn't exit. So, they began to dash around in panic.

Releasing seals and breaking free was not part of their plans at all. The vast majority of these gods hadn't even had time to summon their followers. Even if they were released, they would be toothless tigers.

Not to mention that countries with institutions similar to SPEAR had received communications from Kamar-Taj, collaborating with the talented individuals from their own countries' mystical realms. They camped at nodes of their national magical defense networks, ready with bags to capture those who were knocked unconscious—one by one.

In the previous Knull event, most of the beneficiaries were entities with higher energy levels, like Kamar-Taj and Asgard.

However, this time, with the eruption of the Steel Demon Gods and the extermination of Earth's gods, the beneficiaries were more mainstream organizations—such as scholars of mystical realms from around the world, freelance magic practitioners, and even security institutions like S.H.I.E.L.D., SPEAR, and other national security institutions that didn't primarily focus on magic.

Even among freelancers, there were methods to store energy to varying extents. At this stage, while Humanity couldn't yet harness magic energy on a large scale, obtaining such energy was mainly for research purposes.

Although Kamar-Taj's research level was very high, it was more like a national-level scientific research institute in a regular human society, focusing on cutting-edge technology.

However, regular mystical realms also had their share of inventors. It was just that the small amount of energy they could usually obtain and the scarcity of materials greatly limited their potential development.

And this time, as demon gods broke free all over the world, sorcerers gathered, magical defense networks held firm, Steel Demon Gods wreaked havoc, and the Sorcerer Supreme sounded the clarion call, a feast was laid out for the common mystics and magicians of Humanity.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 513: Confessions in Dreams (Part 1)